Agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Office of Executive Investigations arrested John Bradley Hoard, 49, for bid tampering. Agents began their case last October at the request of the Florida Department of Education and Walton County Schools Superintendent Russell Hughes.
Hoard was the school board’s contracted insurance consultant and also the managing partner of an insurance sales company, which submitted a bid for the Walton County Schools telemedicine services insurance contract.
Investigators believe Hoard used his position as a paid consultant to learn details of a telemedicine services competing bid and then changed his company’s bid after the bidding deadline. Hoard’s bid ultimately won the contract, allowing him to profit by receiving commission from every employee who requested the telemedicine services, around $1,000 a month.
Hoard was arrested today and booked into the Leon County Jail. The Office of the State Attorney, 2nd Judicial Circuit will prosecute this case.